


Wedding Dance

by woodelf



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23290072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodelf/pseuds/woodelf
Summary: Gideon's all grown up.
Relationships: Alexandra & Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Alexandra/Gideon (Once Upon a Time), Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Cinderella | Ashley Boyd/Thomas | Sean Herman, Thomas | Sean Herman & Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	Wedding Dance

As the music faded and her father stepped back, beaming proudly, Rumpelstiltskin moved in.

“May I have the honour of this dance, Mrs. Gold?”

Alexandra Gold smiled and held out her hands. “It would be my pleasure.”

A new song started, and Rumpelstiltskin led his lovely new daughter-in-law around the dance floor, seeing Ashley Herman sweep by with Gideon, his son looking elegant in the gold-embroidered waistcoat which he had gifted him, a huge grin on Gideon’s face as he met his wife’s eyes in passing. The newlyweds were blissfully in love and Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t have been happier for them.

“You know,” he observed with amusement, “Your mother once promised you to me as the price of a deal.”

“I know. I understand she was desperate at the time, but really,” Alex shook her head. “I don’t understand how anyone could do that. No one is going to be raising any of my children but me. Well, me and Gideon. Gideon and I,” She corrected and twinkled at him. “Although of course, I’m sure when the time comes that we will be happy to leave them in your care temporarily for some mild spoiling while we have some quality time to ourselves. But you can’t keep them permanently.”

Gold laughed. He liked Alex; she would be a welcome addition to the family. “I will be delighted to spoil any future grandchildren. But what amuses me is that although at the time I let your mother keep you, I got you in the end. Not as a pawn to pass on to another childless couple, but as my very own daughter-in-law. I think I ended up with the better deal.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek as the music changed, and looked to the side to see Gideon waiting to reclaim his new bride. He handed her off willingly.

“Cherish her, son.”

“I will, Dad.” Gideon whirled his wife off into a new dance, and Rumpelstiltskin felt someone tap him between the shoulder blades.

Belle curtsied as he turned. “May I have this dance, kind sir?”

“You may indeed. I plan on dancing with all the Mrs. Golds at this fine event,” Rumpelstiltskin teased. He pulled her in close, the song slow and sweet. “Did you ever think you’d see the day?” he marveled.

Belle tucked her head beneath his chin, twining one hand in the smooth silver fall of his hair. The Dark One had been cast out, trapped in Pandora’s box years ago, and Rumpelstiltskin was now aging normally. The box had been sealed in a lead chest, which had in turn been encased in a concrete block and buried deep in a hidden location. Hopefully it would stay there forever. “Imagining our son falling in love and getting married was easy,” she said wistfully. “I’m still baffled by how anyone that tall ever came out of my womb.”

Rumpelstiltskin laughed out loud. “Aye, I know what you mean. Your father has a lot to answer for.” It had been obvious that their lanky boy was going to be taller than either of his parents even before he had hit puberty, but once he had hit that particular growth spurt, he had started outgrowing his clothes almost as soon as they’d been bought for a while. And keeping him fed…Gideon would eat half the contents of a grocery bag before they even had a chance to put the things away. Gold chuckled at the memory. “At least we finally had someone who could get things off the high shelves easily.”

“And kill the bugs on the ceiling,” Belle added with a grin. “Come on, let’s go sit down; I want to watch our handsome son dancing with his lovely new wife.”

“They make a good-looking pair, don’t they?” he agreed, happy to sit down. Surgery had done a lot to help his foot, but standing for long periods did still make it ache.

“As do we,” Belle said stoutly, reclaiming their chairs at the head table near Sean and Ashley.

“Well, you’re beautiful, at any rate.” Rumpelstiltskin said deprecatingly.

“As do _we_ ,” she repeated, glaring fiercely at him. “” _We_ ’ is plural; it includes you. I know my eyesight isn’t as sharp as it used to be, but I still know a damn good-looking man when I see one, and that means you. Would you just shut up and take a compliment for once in your life, Rumpelstiltskin?”

“Yes, dear,” he said meekly, catching Ashley’s eyes as he did so. She looked like she was trying not to laugh. Rumpelstiltskin leaned towards her and Sean, not at all minding that he no longer instilled fear in either one of them. There was something to be said for being _liked_. They might not have the most scintillating personalities, but they had matured into good parents and still had a stable marriage, which put them heads and shoulders above a good many other people he had known, enough that they deserved to be treated with respect and civility. Besides, they were family now. 

“Henpecked,” he confided in a stage whisper, “You see how it is.” Ashley snorted, and Rumpelstiltskin sat back in his chair, winking at Sean’s now open grin.

“There are worse things than having your wife tell you she finds you attractive,” observed Sean.

“There are indeed, my boy. There are indeed.” Rumpelstiltskin lifted his glass of champagne. “To our wives, may they forever think we were worth marrying.”

“To our wives.” Sean echoed the toast and clinked his glass against Rumpelstiltskin’s. 

“To marriage,” Belle offered, and four glasses clinked before the toast was drunk. They sat and watched their children dancing for a while in contented silence, Ashley’s younger brother Tim having appeared as a new upbeat song was started. 

“So,” Belle said matter-of-factly at last. “Grandbabies. How many do we want?”


End file.
